Plans to make one of the county's most popular parks even more attractive were set in motion last week.A master plan approved Wednesday for Apopka's Kelly Park, home of Rock Springs, includes a new multipurpose building, an administration building, cabins and a boardwalk to one of the sinkholes on the property.The plan was approved by the Orange County Park Advisory Committee and will now go before the County Commission, probably by early September, officials said.But approval of the plan does not mean residents will see changes any time soon.

LEESBURG - From its opening in 2000, Berry Park has been a place where the community comes together. Over the years, events have ranged from small gatherings, such as family get-togethers and birthday parties, to large ones like the city's annual Back-To-School Bash and Juneteenth Celebration. Now the park on Johns Avenue in the Carver Heights community is undergoing a facelift. The $150,000 in improvements includes a new pavilion and some upgraded playground equipment. Community members are excited to see the improvements.

DETROIT -- Detroit police on Tuesday evacuated about 200 people from Belle Isle, one of the city's most popular parks, after a 50-pound wolf escaped from a children's zoo, officials said. The 2-year-old female wolf jumped three 10-foot-high fences to escape, running through the riverside park for about 90 minutes before being caught and returned unharmed to the zoo, police said.

Even though Pierre Areizaga was busy stirring a pot, he was still happy to speak with anyone who approached him to see what he was cooking. “This is pesta alfredo with veggies,” Areizaga said. He pointed to the numerous dishes on the two tables he was manning, and added, “I'm doing the pasta station. We've got pasta alfredo with pesto, and pasta primavera with veggies.” On Monday, Areizaga was cooking plenty of hot pasta at the ballroom inside the Dubsdread Golf Resort.

Fees for commercial vans and tour buses will double or even triple at many of the country's federal parks beginning in 1998, the National Park Service announced Thursday. The new fees will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 1998, Park Service Director Roger Kennedy said. In the meantime, the agency will develop a series of discounts aimed at some tour buses, such as those that carry senior citizens or emit less pollution. Entrance fees for individual visitors at many parks already have been increased at many of the most popular parks, and higher fees are expected to be imposed at other parks in the coming months.

Newly renovated Kelly Park in northwest Orange County was a big hit over Memorial Day weekend as families and friends beat the heat, had picnics and swam. Park rangers said more than 7,000 people visited the park and Rock Springs during its first 3 days of opening after 7 months of renovations. Because of the crowds, rangers had to close the park and turn away cars for about 1 1/2 hours on Sunday and Monday after the parking lots filled.One of Orange County's most popular parks, Kelly had been closed since November for $1.1 million in improvements, including a concession stand, ranger station, new restrooms and redesigned roads, sidewalks and boardwalks.

For most park rangers, the Fourth of July was no picnic.Families were out in full force, carting around coolers, tromping on trails and splashing around in canoes. Thousands of people went to a handful of Florida's 138 state parks while other parks sat quietly bypassed by the hordes.At Wekiwa Springs State Park in Orange County, Ranger Wayland Smith knew what was coming - a line of cars at the park entrance. ''It's our busiest day of the year,'' he said. ''They plead, beg. They'll do anything to get in.''In Volusia County, George Carson, manager at the Tomoka State Park, anticipated a quieter day. ''We may run short on tables or grills, but that's about it,'' he said.

Recent improvements to Palatlakaha Recreation Area have city officials crowing about what has become a true gem of a park.''It's a first-class facility and as nice as any in the state,'' Mayor Robert Pool said.Hikers can take a scenic stroll down a new nature trail, which starts at the picnic area and continues around the park's perimeter into the woods.The trail connects to an existing boardwalk that stretches from an expanded picnic area, which now has eight additional tables, to Lake Palatlakaha.

The Internet site for "National Park Reservations" I logged onto recently looked official. It had pictures of park scenery and lodges and listed a toll-free number that offered this recorded message: "Thank you for calling National Park Reservations. Your call may be monitored for quality assurance. Please remain on the line, and a reservation specialist will be with you momentarily." But this is not the Web site or phone of the National Park Service or any of its concessionaires. Instead it's a Montana-based business that charges customers 10 percent of the room cost to make a reservation at national park lodges -- a service that major lodges at the most popular parks provide for free (or nearly free, if you count phone charges)

When 38 state parks nearly closed their gates last year because of a shortage of money for rangers and upkeep, lawmakers responded by finding enough cash to keep them open.This year, the state Department of Environmental Protection is planning an opposite strategy: opening more land to the public in a drive to ensure funds for new parks.The department was to announce plans today in Tallahassee to promote public use of 29 Florida parks where access has, until now, been limited.The announcement is designed, in part, to convince legislators of the need for a fourth year of funds for Preservation 2000, the state bond program that generates about $300 million a year for the purchase and conservation of natural lands.

Lake Fairview Park was first created back in the 1950s, and Denise Riccio can remember when the lake was a popular spot for swimmers. “It used to be a city beach,” she said. But as the years went on, it had to be closed for that kind of family activity. “The bacteria counts got too high to keep it open to the public,” she said. In recent years, though, the city's efforts to clean up the lake have proven to be successful. “The lake water is much better now,” she said.

Brenda Byers began her professional singing career when she was just 13. That career would eventually take her around the world, to popular television programs including "The Tonight Show," and to Winter Park in the 1960s. Byers became a staple at the Langford Hotel — once the showpiece of Winter Park — where celebrities, the wealthy and who's-who socialized. Byers fell in love with Winter Park and bought a home there, while also keeping a summer residence in Connecticut.

A popular Winter Park pub was damaged Wednesday morning after a driver lost control while turning and drove onto the sidewalk, crashing through potted plants and a window, police said. Kailey Elizabeth LaTorre, 19, of Orlando was heading east on Fairbanks Avenue about 2:20 a.m. and tried to stay on the road when it split into Pennsylvania Avenue, said Sgt. Jamie Loomis, a police spokeswoman. The confused driver was thrown off and drove straight toward the Fiddler's Green Irish Pub. LaTorre's Lexus sedan struck the plant display and rotated parallel to the business' entrance.

A push for privately developed and operated campgrounds in Florida state parks, a concept that worries some environmentalists and lawmakers, shifts this week from bureaucratic offices to local public meetings that will consider the fate of De Leon Springs, Honeymoon Island and two other sites. In a letter last week to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a state senator expressed "adamant opposition to this concept" of privately run camping in Honeymoon Island State Park.

WINTER PARK -- The signs that went up this week jarred regulars at Winter Park's popular dog park. Fleet Peeples Park, arguably the most popular off-leash dog park in Central Florida, will soon require that animals be leashed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The signs posted Monday notified visitors that the policy -- which has always been the rule but rarely was enforced -- "will be strictly enforced" starting Feb. 28. Violators will be subject to fines of $50 or more.

WINTER PARK -- Fleet Peeples Park on Lake Baldwin is so popular with people and their pets that a city resident is worried the lake could become contaminated. Kim Allen, an alternate on the city's Parks & Recreation Commission, today will present the board with her research and questions about potential environmental problems associated with the off-leash dog park. The public may attend the 5 p.m. work session but may not speak, and the commission will make no decision. The advisory board makes recommendations on parks issues to the City Commission.

National parks, beach rescues and a popular Nickelodeon TV show provide viewers with some new Sunday choices.The Discovery Channel focuses on America's Great Parks at 8 p.m., a two-hour look at some of the nation's most popular parks.James Brolin will host the program, which visits the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite parks.Meanwhile, TBS premieres its real-life Baywatch program, L.A. Lifeguards, at 9 p.m. The show promises to go ``beyond the glamorous image of lifeguarding to examine the dangers and crises facing these heroes every day.''The show not only focuses on rescues but also follows a rookie lifeguard through his grueling tryout.

A summer vacation in one of the country's national parks isn't the great getaway that it used to be.Modern technology abounds, even in the woods. Shuttle buses chauffeur vacationers through some of the most popular parks, and a nationwide computer ticket sales system allows them to reserve space in park campgrounds.The concessions to civilization are needed to protect the parks from their own mass appeal -- the National Park Service estimates 255 million recreational visits to park areas this year.

WINTER PARK -- The popular dog-friendly Fleet Peeples Park on Lake Baldwin will remain free while the city parks commission works with a volunteer group to determine the best way to fund improvements. The parks commission on Thursday held off on a proposal to charge annual fees of $50 to $75 and instead appointed a subcommittee to meet with the nonprofit Friends of Fleet Peeples Park. The groups will discuss how to implement a master plan that features handicapped-accessible trails and a separate people-only park and beach.

WINTER PARK -- One of the most popular canine attractions in town may soon start charging admission. The city is proposing fees at Fleet Peeples Park on Lake Baldwin to fund an up-to $3 million master plan at the 23-acre park. It would feature a separate people-only park and beach, new bathrooms -- and an end to leash restrictions. Membership in the Canine Club would cost $50 per year for the first dog -- $75 for noncity residents -- and $10 for each additional pooch, plus proof of rabies vaccinations.